Restaurants & Food Service · Burgers & Hot Dogs
Sonic Drive-In Franchises for Sale
A free-standing drive-in burger and specialty-drink restaurant with canopied car stalls, carhops and a drive-thru. Low franchise fee, heavy site and building cost.
Brand Performance Snapshot
Franchised and company-owned unit counts for 2023 through 2025, as reported in the franchisor's FDD.
Existing Sonic Drive-In Franchises for Sale
Operating Sonic Drive-In territories listed for sale by their owners or brokers, reviewed before publishing.
Existing territories come up for sale as owners retire or relocate. Tell us where you're looking and we'll email you when a Sonic Drive-In resale is verified and published.
Sonic Drive-In Franchise Model Overview
Sonic Drive-Ins are quick-service restaurants built around in-car service: customers park under canopied stalls, order by pressing a button, and a carhop brings out cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken, tater tots, ice cream treats and signature drinks like cherry limeades and slushes. Most units add a drive-thru and patio, and the full menu, including breakfast, is served all day from roughly 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. or later. A traditional unit is a small 1,250 to 1,500 square foot building on close to an acre of land, so the money goes into site work, building, equipment and technology rather than the modest franchise fee; smaller C-store and urban in-line formats cost well under half as much. Owners pay a low royalty, a small brand fund and a larger local advertising co-op. The controlling owner must personally participate in the business, and at least one trained full-time manager must always be on site with ServSafe-certified shift leaders. The system is the largest drive-in chain in the country but has been contracting slowly, with both franchised and company counts declining each of the past three years. Transfers carry a modest fee and require franchisor approval.
Ideal owner profile
Investment Snapshot
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Brand information on this page — including unit counts, fees, and investment ranges — was compiled by Verified Franchise Resales from the brand's most recent Franchise Disclosure Document and has not been independently verified. Verified Franchise Resales is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sonic Drive-In. Prospective buyers should obtain and review the current FDD, consult qualified legal and financial advisors, and confirm all terms before responding. This page is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy a franchise; offers are made only through the FDD in applicable jurisdictions. Read VFR’s Terms of Use before responding to any franchise.